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Q: Now that temperatures are getting warmer, algae keeps growing. How do I stop algae from taking over?

Jeremy – Clinton, IA

A: It sure doesn’t take much for algae to grow out of control! Combine warm sunshine with some algae-loving nutrients and, before long, you’ll have a pond full of pea soup. When it’s thick and dense, those tiny plants can then suck all the oxygen from the water, leaving your fish gasping for air. Plus, it looks bad and can cause some major stink.

For the health of your fish and your lake, you must regain control. Here’s a two-pronged approach that works to eliminate the green stuff and prevent it from taking over.

TREAT THE GROWTH

First, you need to get rid of the algae blooms. For floating algae and chara that’s less than 3 feet deep, use Algae Defense®. The aquatic algaecide comes in a fast-acting liquid formula that can be directly applied to your lake with a pressurized sprayer. If you’re dealing with chara that’s deeper than 3 feet, use Cutrine®-Plus. Its granular formula sinks to the bottom of your lake and destroys the algae.

Once the algaecides start working to kill the blooms, don’t forget to remove dead algae from the pond with a tool like the Pond Rake. If you leave the dead foliage in the lake, will start to break down and become nutrients—or algae food—for new blooms. It’s a vicious cycle!

TREAT THE SOURCE

Now that you’ve got the algae under control, it’s time to get proactive and prevent its future growth. Begin by adding PondClear™ & MuckAway™. These products contain beneficial bacteria that gobble through excess nutrients like suspended organic waste and muck in your pond. The result: Clean and clear water with no noxious odors.

Next, shade the water with pond dye. By preventing the sun’s rays from penetrating the water, you’ll starve the algae of sunlight, which it needs to thrive.

ONE-STOP SHOPPING

Looking for an easy solution? Check out the ClearPAC® PLUS. This all-in-one algae destroyer contains everything you’ll need to kill the algae and prevent future growth. It contains algaecide, beneficial bacteria and pond dye to fight algae and suspended debris all season long.

Pond Talk: How do you prevent excess nutrients from entering your pond or lake?

3 Responses

What effect, if any, does increased aeration have on algae production or control? What does a uncustomary fresh green tinge to the (untreated) water in the pond indicate. We have no floating plants, or scum.

Hi Lyn – Aeration increases oxygen levels in the pond. This allows for aerobic bacteria to thrive. Aerobic bacteria digests excess nutrients (muck, suspended organics) in the pond. Algae also feeds off the excess nutrients too, so when we reduce the amount of nutrients overall in the pond, we reduce the amount of algae you see. Green tinge to the water is typically planktonic algae. I would recommend using Pond Dye PLUS. The product combines pond dye and natural bacteria in one easy step.